North Head Lighthouse

After Cape Disappointment Lightstation was established in 1856 to mark the entrance to the Columbia River, mariners approaching the river from the north complained they could not see the light until they had nearly reached the river. Their cry for an additional lighthouse was supported by the many shipwrecks, which occurred along the Long Beach Peninsula, just north of the cape.

Construction of North Head Lighthouse began in 1896. The tower is brick masonry with a cement plaster overlay built on a sandstone foundation. 69 steps lead to the lantern room, which is 65 feet from the ground and 194 feet above sea level. The first-order Fresnel lens, which came from Cape Disappointment, was lit for the first time on May 16, 1898.